A total of 40 private and state-owned enterprises participated in a business meeting titled “Business Matching and Virtual Expo: Innovative Products in Petrochemicals, Oil and Gas” held at the UGM Campus in Jakarta on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
The participating companies were PT Pertamina Gas, Pertamina Patra Niaga, Pupuk Sriwijaya, Pupuk Indonesia, Pupuk Indonesia Pangan, Petrokimia Gresik, Pupuk Kaltim, and Indika Energy.
This meeting aimed to foster collaboration between academics and business practitioners for the downstream application of research innovations developed by researchers through UGM Science Techno Park.
UGM’s Vice Rector for Education and Teaching, Professor Wening Udasmoro, stated that the meeting seeks to bridge the gap between academia and industry while fulfilling UGM’s mandate to produce knowledge that benefits society.
“Both mandates are upheld firmly,” she said.
Professor Udasmoro noted that many innovations from UGM researchers are now being sought after by both domestic and international companies.
“Recently, an industry in Germany expressed interest in utilizing the knowledge produced by the UGM Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA UGM) researchers; it turns out that the knowledge and innovations from UGM experts are recognized nationally and internationally,” she explained.
In addition to strengthening collaboration, Professor Udasmoro emphasized that this meeting opens up opportunities for the downstream application of research and innovation products for direct use in industry.
“We want what we produce to be beneficial for the industry because UGM, as a comprehensive university covering both science and social science, aims to benefit not only the industry but society at large,” she stated.
Dr. Hargo Utomo, UGM’s Director of Business Development, mentioned that the institution is currently encouraging the industry to collaborate on various excellent innovations.
“UGM Science Techno Park will focus on downstream superior innovations to the industry over the next five years. We want UGM to continue to inspire innovation for the nation’s advancement,” he said.
Baim Ibrahim, Vice President of Production Planning and Controlling at PT Pupuk Sriwijaya, explained that the company is currently striving for efficiency in the use of raw materials and energy to achieve cost savings and reduce emissions.
He noted that achieving efficiency requires special attention to technology, which opens up collaboration opportunities for university innovations.
“In terms of efficient raw material consumption, I believe there are areas for collaboration. For example, from the Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM), there could be process developments that make operations more efficient. With the Chemical Engineering Department, much work has already been done related to waste processing for environmental concerns, but there hasn’t been as much progress in production processes,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, Eko Ricky Susanto, Vice President of Retail Fuel Sales Marketing at PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, indicated that the company is open to collaborating with UGM researchers to support the government’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.
Pertamina is currently directing several initiatives toward developing new and renewable energy sources, including geothermal, gas, and hydrogen.
“Hydrogen energy, regarded as a clean transition energy source, is expected to have cheaper infrastructure globally,” he explained.
During this business meeting, UGM Science Techno Park showcased opportunities for collaboration through a virtual expo featuring innovative products, including carbon nanopores, mesoporous carbon, biofuel innovations from the seeds of the nyamplung tree, and polymer-based innovations such as bioplastics, along with technology-based startups.
Additionally, over 100 innovations, including granted patents, were offered as topics for research and development collaboration between universities and industry.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang